Gearing Up for the 2016 Show Season

It’s a bit early still to start trumpeting the coming of the new show season, but I can tell that folks are gearing up by the increased activity I’m seeing in online discussion forums and by the increasing numbers of letters we’re getting here at GEM. As ever, many of you have “new” engines you’ve found or rescued and are now restoring, and we hope to share them here in the pages of Gas Engine Magazine.

One of those engines is the circa-1902 6 hp Goold, Shapely & Muir belonging to Canadian reader Alan Hough. Rare and beautiful, it’s been lovingly restored by Alan’s good friend Brad McBride. Abandoned and broken, it sat for decades before Alan happened across it. It took many years for the engine to finally emerge whole again, and now that it’s running it’s been viewed by hundreds of old-engine fans as Brad takes it to shows. You can read about this engine’s interesting history and amazing restoration here.

As you prepare for the 2016 season, don’t forget to order your copy of the 42nd Annual Farm Collector Show Directory. As the most complete guide to engine and tractor shows across the U.S. and Canada, it’s become a vital resource for old iron fans. This year’s directory gives date and location information for more than 1,000 shows, swap meets and consignment auctions, plus listings for national clubs and show features. You can order your copy by calling us toll free at (866) 624-9388 or by going online to www.FarmCollector.com/2016/Show/Directory.

One of the shows we hope to hit is the 2016 Coolspring Power Museum Summer Exposition & Flea Market. We covered the highlights of last year’s amazing expo featuring flame ignition engines from the early years of gas engine technology (Gas Engine Magazine, October/November 2015), and we hope to return for this year’s expo featuring rare, one-of-a-kind engines. Given Coolspring’s track record for pulling in surviving examples of some of the most amazing engines ever built, it’s a safe bet this year’s expo will be another home run.

We’ll be looking closely at some of the other major shows coming our way in 2016, and like the rest of you we’ll also have plenty of excellent local shows to attend, where new surprises show up every year. And fingers crossed, I might finally have my circa-1920 5 hp Piersen running and ready to show. Featuring a unique cooling system that routes engine cooling water through the flywheel (Piersen called it the Piersen Flywheel Radiator), it’s a unique engine and one I’ve never witnessed in running condition. See you at the shows!

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